From bravery to burglary: How a decorated cop ended up in handcuffs after allegedly going on violent home invasion



An off-duty New Jersey cop was arrested after she allegedly broke into a residence and assaulted two victims, according to police.

Rebecca Sayegh — a 32-year-old officer with the Toms River Police Department — was arrested and charged with two counts each of assault, two counts of criminal mischief, one count of terroristic threats, one count of home invasion burglary, and one count of resisting arrest, according to jail records.

'Sayegh previously was commended and presented an award for her "bravery" as part of rescuing a woman and her pets from a January 2021 Toms River house fire.'

Sayegh used a baton to smash the front door glass of a home in the Bayville neighborhood around 11:20 p.m. Friday, according to the criminal complaint.

Citing court documents, NJ.com reported that Sayegh began arguing with her former boyfriend and a woman at the house.

The verbal altercation quickly escalated into a physical confrontation when Sayegh allegedly began pushing and shoving the man and woman.

One of the alleged victims suffered swelling to the eye, the complaint stated.

The man and woman reportedly restrained Sayegh in the living room before she “broke free” and smashed items in the house and knocked pictures off the wall, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Sayegh scratched one of the alleged victim's vehicles on the hood.

Once police responded to the crime scene, Sayegh allegedly attempted to fight with officers and needed to be physically restrained.

The complaint noted that Sayegh made a threat to burn down the house as cops escorted her down the property's driveway.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated: "Sayegh was taken into custody at the scene — after having resisted efforts to peacefully place her under arrest."

"Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Berkeley Township Police Department for their efforts in connection with this investigation," the prosecutor's office noted.

Sayegh reportedly was suspended with pay.

Sayegh's attorney, Terrance Turnbach, told NJ.com: "Officer Sayegh understands the significance of the charges filed against her. She has been a member of the Toms River Police Department and proudly served her community for almost nine years. She is taking all of the appropriate steps to properly address the matter at hand and will remain cooperative throughout the pending legal proceedings."

Sayegh is being detained without bail at the Ocean County Jail ahead of her court appearance scheduled for Friday morning to determine if she will be granted bail.

Complicating issues, Sayegh has a lawsuit pending against the Toms River Police Department that was launched last year.

In November 2024, Sayegh filed a lawsuit against the township, former Police Chief Mitch Little, former Capt. Shaun O'Keefe, former Deputy Chief Patrick Dellane, and Sgt. Matthew Broderick.

The lawyers for the defendants have called the lawsuit 'frivolous and without legal basis' and 'baseless and/or meritless.'

According to the Asbury Park Press, Sayegh claims there was a "boys club" culture in the department that led to her "being sexually harassed, passed over for promotions, and written up for supposed offenses that were ignored when committed by male officers."

Sayegh, who joined the department in 2017, claims O'Keefe "shamelessly" pursued a sexual relationship with her. She alleges that during a Toms River Police Foundation event at the Bey Lea Golf Course in June 2022, O'Keefe purportedly followed her into the women's restroom, took out his penis, and told her to perform oral sex on him.

O'Keefe retired from the department in 2021.

In April 2025, Superior Court Judge Robert E. Brenner dismissed the claims against O'Keefe without prejudice because the lawsuit was filed after the two-year statute of limitations had passed.

The lawyers for the defendants have called the lawsuit "frivolous and without legal basis" and "baseless and/or meritless."

Sayegh previously was commended and presented an award for her "bravery" as part of rescuing a woman and her pets from a January 2021 Toms River house fire.

"Officer Sayegh went to the front door and made entry, locating Ms. Nicolo and her pets. Officer Sayegh was able to escort Ms. Nicolo and her pets across the street to safety. Officer Sayegh is commended for her swift action, bravery, and lifesaving actions," the department stated.

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California cop busted for masturbating in home during disturbance call: Report



Authorities say a California police officer was caught masturbating in a family's home after he arrived there for a domestic disturbance call.

He was placed on administrative leave following his arrest, according to various reports.

What are the details?

According to KNTV-TV, former San Jose Officer Matthew Dominguez, 32, was arrested for indecent exposure after reportedly masturbating in an area family's home.

Dominguez, authorities said, reportedly "touched himself" in front of two female family members and went on to expose himself to a third female household member.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said that the purported behavior is "beyond disturbing."

"Law enforcement officers respond to our homes to help crime victims, not terrorize, traumatize, and create new victims," Rosen said.

The station reported that Dominguez showed up at the family's home for a call about a mentally ill family member exhibiting erratic behavior and becoming violent.

San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata told the New York Post that he physically escorted Dominguez out of the building.

"Last week I said that when an officer violated the public's trust or engages in criminal conduct I would personally walk that officer out the door," he said. "Today I did it."

Sean Pritchard, president of the San Jose Police Department Officers Association told KNTV that Dominguez "has no place in law enforcement" if the allegations are proven to be true.

“Having these different incidents has really led us to a place where we want to take a much harder look at our hiring process, our backgrounding process and really see if there’s something that’s being missed," he said.

If convicted on the indecent exposure charge, Dominguez could face one year in jail and spend 10 years on a sex offender registry.

The department is investigating the incident.

SJPD Officer Misconduct Investigations www.youtube.com

Ex-LAPD officer charged with fatal shooting of disabled man in Costco



Authorities arrested an ex-Los Angeles police officer on Monday in connection with the shooting death of a disabled man at a California Costco store in 2019.

What are the details?

Former Officer Salvador Sanchez, 30, faces charges of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

In 2019, Sanchez — while off-duty — was said to have shot unarmed 32-year-old Kenneth French, who suffered from a mental handicap and was nonverbal.

French's parents, Russell and Paola, were both seriously wounded in the shooting that took their son's life.

A criminal complaint states that Kenneth was at the store in Corona, California, with his parents when the incident unfolded.

Dale Galipo, an attorney for the French family, said that Kenneth "may have pushed Sanchez," according to NBC News.

Sanchez's attorney, David Winslow, said that Kenneth French "violently attacked" the off-duty officer and knocked him to the ground while he was shopping with his wife and holding his baby.

Of the incident, Winslow said, "[Sanchez] was also knocked unconscious momentarily. At the time of the incident, he believed he was protecting himself and his baby from being killed."

According to the Washington Post, Kenneth French and his parents were shopping when the 32-year-old "allegedly slapped an off-duty Los Angeles police officer in the head while standing in line for food samples."

At that point, the outlet reported, Sanchez — who was holding his baby at the time — "took out his department-issued handgun and fired about 10 times, killing French, injuring French's parents, and sending bullets flying through the crowded wholesale store."

Russell French, who was shot in the chest and lost a kidney as a result of the shooting, said that he "begged" Sanchez not to fire on his "sick" son.

What else?

NBC News reported that after reviewing the shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department determined that the use of force was unreasonable and violated department policy, and also pointed out that it remains unclear whether Sanchez was fired or resigned amid the outcry.

The Post report also added that bodycam footage from Corona police saw Sanchez telling responding officers that he believed Kenneth French had a gun and had shot Sanchez, so he fired back.

"He later described to investigators the gun he said French was holding as a 'small black compact firearm,'" the outlet added. "But an LAPD investigation concluded that no witnesses saw a gun in [Kenneth's] hand and no firearm was recovered at the scene."

The LAPD also found that Sanchez was approximately 20 feet away from Kenneth when he fired on the intellectually disabled man, fatally striking him in the back.

Authorities arrested Sanchez on Monday in Riverside County and set his bail at $155,000. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

In a statement on the arrest, Attorney General Rob Bonta said the charges were about "pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law."

"Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesn't mean you're not accountable for how you use it," he added. "No matter who you are, nobody is above the law."

Costco shooting: Charges filed against off-duty LAPD officer in fatal 2019 shooting of unarmed manwww.youtube.com

Louisiana police officer claimed he was shot during ambush. Authorities arrest him for reportedly faking the attack, say he shot himself.



A Louisiana police officer was arrested after he reportedly claimed to be the victim of an ambush that reportedly took place earlier in September.

A spokesperson for the Pineville Police Department says that the officer, 25-year-old John Michael Goulart Jr., actually shot himself in the leg during the alleged "attack."

What did the officer say happened?

In initial reports, Goulart Jr. said that he came under attack as he exited his patrol vehicle at a Pineville shopping center on Sept. 20.

He said that he was struck once in the leg and a second round hit the rear door of his patrol vehicle.

Pineville Police Department Public Information Officer Deputy Chief Darrell Basco initially told KALB-TV, "There were shots fired at the officer. The officer didn't return fire on anybody. He was exiting the patrol vehicle at the shopping center whenever he was ambushed by an unknown person at this time and two shots were fired. One striking him, and the other hit the vehicle."

Following the initial report, the Pineville community rallied around the injured officer.

Goulart joined the department in 2018, according to a Facebook post.

What really happened?

Investigators said that Goulart Jr. shot himself, hid his service weapon, and lied about what had actually taken place.

"Everything shows it was an accidental discharge," Basco said according to CNN.

"The investigation of a Pineville Police Department officer being shot on Sunday night is closed," Basco said in a later statement. "The investigation led to a determination that the officer shot himself, concealed, and altered the facts."

Of the investigation, Don Weatherford, Pineville's police chief, added, "We had no reason originally to question what he was telling us was accurate. As it progressed, that evidence gives you some pretty clear direction and it led us to re-interviewing Officer Goulart Jr. and he admitted that at that point he had not been truthful with us during the investigation."

Clarence Fields, the mayor of Pineville, said he believed Goulart Jr. was a "very good police officer."

Fields added that the purportedly faked attack, however, was "unfortunate," considering "everything going on in America relative to relationships between police and the community."

"They are mindful that they will probably be looked at very differently and receive some criticism," Fields said of the department.

So what happened then?

Authorities arrested Goulart Jr. on Tuesday on charges of malfeasance in office and criminal mischief and placed him on administrative leave.

Goulart Jr. was released on a $10,500 bond.

You can watch a video report on the incident here.

A Louisiana police officer who claimed he was shot while on duty had instead shot himself in the leg, Deputy Chief… https://t.co/A8wMftMVsN
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